We kicked off our Everybody Cooks Rice unit in the classroom with the book Danbi Leads the School Parade by Anna Kim. It’s the story of a young child who moves from South Korea to the United States and forges new friendships through the beautiful food she brings for lunch.
In the kitchen, the first grade chefs each made their own kimbap. We learned that kimbap is different than Japanese sushi in that the rice is seasoned with sesame oil and sesame seeds instead of vinegar and that the filling is usually cooked. Students had a variety of fillings to choose from: omelet, carrots, danmuji (pickled daikon), spinach, cucumber, and ueong jorim (braised burdock root).
Everyone had a great time rolling kimbap with bamboo mats and enjoying all the vibrant colors of our meal.
